The present invention relates to optical signal transmission and, more specifically, to the use of contoured electric fields and contoured poling in polarization-independent optical waveguides for applications requiring modulation and switching of optical signals.
It is becoming increasingly important to frequently upgrade telecommunication networks to increase their capacity due to the recent rapid increase in network traffic caused by multimedia communications. Although optical technologies are replacing most transmission lines, the nodes of optical networks, such as switching and cross-connect nodes, still depend on relatively slow electrical technologies. Fore example, time-division multiplexing (TDM) systems are widely used in existing optical communications systems and are inherently dependent on electrical circuits for multiplexing and demultiplexing. As a result, the electrical nodes in these types of optical networks limit throughput.
There has been a recent shift in the industry towards an emphasis on accelerating returns on existing and upgraded networks. Companies trying to pioneer the integrated optics market, however, have run head-on into the challenge of cost-effectively integrating optical components and microelectronic technology into a single device. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for innovation in integrated component design for optical switching, modulating, attenuating, multiplexing and demultiplexing devices.